#780447 - 12/04/99 05:05 PM
making ends meet
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jre
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Registered: 12/04/99
Posts: 1
Loc: elroy wisconsin
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I have been a part time gigger for 2 years while working side jobs to pay the bills. It would be great to hear from others out there that are or have been in this situation. I would be interested to know what others do to supplement gig income and any suggestions for going full time as a working musician. I have considered doing solo gigs on the side and giving guitar lessons. I am also a new dad. How do you balance family life with work
and music? I know there are people out there doing it. I'd love to hear your stories and advice.
[This message has been edited by jre (edited 12-04-1999).]
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#780448 - 12/07/99 12:49 AM
Re: making ends meet
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David Hooper
Senior Member
Registered: 11/18/99
Posts: 42
Loc: Nashville, TN
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Are you getting your musical income simply by gigging? If so, it would help to add some merch to that. CDs and T-Shirts are great ways to make a lot of cash and I know a lot of bands that make more more selling merch than they do from live gig fees.
Musical income for more, including me, is usually made up of several little income streams rather than one large one. Kathode Ray Music keeps thing eletricity on via consulting, merch sales (from the label), publishing income, IndieBiz memberships, advertising, and street promotion.
dave @ kathode ray
http://www.indiebiz.com
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#780449 - 12/08/99 04:02 PM
Re: making ends meet
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jbiener
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Registered: 12/08/99
Posts: 1
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JRE,
I think this is the same problem all giggers face. You have to set your priorities, before you can figure out your approach. My highest prioirty is my family. Housing, clothing, food, etc. are at the top of my list. This means that work is my next priority. If I could make a decent living making music, I would. I am honest enough with myself to know how unlikely that is. Fortunately I have skills in the computer field which allow me to provide for my family and have money left over to buy equipment. I play in a band on the weekends and I write music in the evenings. I hope someday that these music related activities will pay off, but until then my priorities are taken care of.
You have to set your priorities and see where that leads you.
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#780450 - 06/18/03 07:51 PM
Re: making ends meet
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Ivory
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Registered: 06/13/03
Posts: 4
Loc: Portland Oregon
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Jbiener I think your post has awnsered a problem Ive had for the last 7 yrs.
I mean it struck me harder than the door when my wife left me last year.
I had dreams of being successful and I sacrificed all my time and alot of our money chasing it.
My wife and I just recently reconciled and I sugar coated my selfishness with my good intentions.I just wanted to say thank you because as ignorant as this sounds I just realized what my priorities should have always been, my wife and daughter.
regards
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#780451 - 06/18/03 09:44 PM
Re: making ends meet
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thelonius
Senior Member
Registered: 06/05/03
Posts: 194
Loc: CO
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Ivory,
Your getting back together w/ your wife/girlfriend?
If it didnt work the 1st time,likely will not again.
Theres been other threads about this type of situation,pls research the archives.
Im telling ya,Im divorced(see"what sacrifices have you made for music").
Youll get a good perspective on how one's desire to make music will inevitably interfere w/ selfesh,non-understanding,clitless(wow,did I just say that)? controlling women.
Carry on ma man,and good luck,youll need it.
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#780452 - 06/19/03 01:49 AM
Re: making ends meet
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Ivory
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Registered: 06/13/03
Posts: 4
Loc: Portland Oregon
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ha ha that was great and your probably right but like all things a person feels passionate about, id rather lose trying than regret not trying at all. If we cant live together in peace we can seperate in kindness.....It will only take a week or two for me to figure that one out. Thats less time than a good vacation.
regards
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#780453 - 06/19/03 05:04 PM
Re: making ends meet
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ian432
Senior Member
Registered: 03/18/02
Posts: 50
Loc: lehigh valley,PA,UNITED STATES
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hi ivory,
you can get back together again, i did and it gave us a second son and we got a good several years in before we split over my "hobby".
like the song says
"the love you take is equal to the love you make..."
without love we're just jerkoffs.
blessings
ian
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#780454 - 06/20/03 12:31 PM
Re: making ends meet
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T.H.
Senior Member
Registered: 09/10/02
Posts: 295
Loc: NEW JERSEY
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I must be in HEAVEN,
my wife dated me while doing music, gave birth to my beautiful son, while I still did music, and 11 years (married for 4) into our relationship she has never bitched moaned or complained about me choosing music over her.
Well I never really did
since I'm the writer, producer, engineer, artist, and computer tech, I can get stressed, stressed about things not working correctly, new software, or a mix that just isnt sonically right.
But all in all, my babies keep me leveled enough to know that, some people know my music and my shows and say I'm a great artist, but my wife & son, let me know I'm a good person who they call Poppy.
It's great to be a superstar, but I'd rather much have my sanity getting there, see you guys at the Grammy's 
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#780455 - 07/01/03 03:58 PM
Re: making ends meet
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freelance
Senior Member
Registered: 03/18/02
Posts: 349
Loc: Oh, I forgot?
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Naturally this is a universal problem for musicians.
Most "full time" musicians must depend on several sources of income - gigs, studio work, working in a music store, teaching, etc. In fact most musicians that work on a local level have more than one project (a main band and possibly 1 or 2 side bands). Natraully, if you are a touring musician this is not as easy.
I was a full time road musician for 7 years. Since I had mastered several clerical skills by running the band (bookkeeping, filing, limited typing, etc) I actually would find temp jobs (as a clerical person) while on the road. Naturally this only worked if we were in a town for a few days - not the standard drive into town at 2:00pm and drive out at 2:00am).
Not only did this provide extra cash - but it put me in offices with numerous lovely young woman (never a bad thing)which gave me more "social encounters" (and often "cleaner" encounters) than the women I would meet in the clubs.
When I came off the road, I found I could make as much doing 2 or 3 nights a week in town as I did on the road. Since, I hated living in motels and I hated sleeping on peoples floors even more I have never had a desire to go back on the road.
The fact is, unless you are a successful and very lucky musician you will find it hard to support yourself and almost impossible to support a family.
So as jbeiner said - you need to figure out where your prioities should be. Seems to me as soon as you chose to have a kid, you did (or should have) made that a priority.
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